


Too Young to Love

by SummerRaine14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bughead do get together, Car Accidents, Chic/Betty sibling relationship, Chic/Jug friendship, Child Abuse, Discussion of emotional abuse, Hockey!Jughead, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Insecurities, Jughead is dating Emmerson (OC) at first, Jughead is older by 1 year, Kevin isn't a shit friend!!!, Multi, Singer!Betty, Southside!Veronica, but not for long I promise, mention of sexual harassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-11-26 00:36:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18173525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: And if I'm too young to fall in loveWhy do you keep runnin' through my brain?And if I'm too young to know anythingThen why do I know that I'm just not the same? - Sabrina CarpenterORThey’re just teenagers caught in the game of life, trying to figure out who they are and learning what love is.





	1. How It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hello! I haven't posted a mutli chapter in a minute, but I am so excited that this one was created!
> 
> First of all, a huge thank you to Cass/sweetpea-cc for being my biggest cheerleader, supporter, and sounding board when I was on a hockey tournament and messaged her at all hours of the night drunk with this fic idea. 
> 
> Second of all, THANK YOU to Evie/Cacti-evie and Emmaleigh/miss-eee for being amazing betas. I've said it before, a beta is the true superhero of fanfiction and I could not have made this story even remotely good enough for other eyes to read if it weren't for you two!
> 
> Now, there are going to be some things people aren't going to like, and I totally respect that! So, I'm asking if you don't want to read Jughead with another female before Betty, then to kindly exit out of this fic and find something more your style. 
> 
> I will be adding more tags and notes as the story progresses, but before you read, later chapters will deal with sexual assault, child abuse, PTSD, and substance abuse. If any of these are at all triggering to you, please, do not read. 
> 
> Phew, if you're still with me now, then read on and thank you for clicking on my fic!

For a small American town, Riverdale was known for many things. From being the home to the founders of maple syrup, to the diner that serves the best burgers in New York state, and giving the world the newest, up-and-coming,  all girls band, Josie and the Pussycats. But, in recent years, the town had quickly become known for their Midget division hockey team. Three years ago, for the first time ever, the Riverdale Serpents had won over eighty percent of their regular season games and took part in a regional tournament. Though they lost, it was the first time a team from such a small town had ever come close to getting into the International tournament. Since their near win at Regionals, it had become the Serpents’ goal to go further. 

 

It was true that the entire town tuned in, during the months between late October and early March, for the official hockey season, but there was no one more supportive than Elizabeth Cooper. 

 

She grew up watching her brother, Charles, play hockey for as long as she could remember. He had always been in love with the game, even playing road hockey with his friend on Elm Street when there was no ice to skate. Though she had her own goals and focuses in life, Friday and Saturday nights during the fall, winter, and early spring, were designated to watching the team play. 

 

She missed practises due to her schooling and part-time job at the local grocery store, but Friday and Saturday’s were hers. That’s why she was excited that it was October 19th, and only an hour away from the first game of the season. 

 

For years, the Cooper family would eat together at Pop’s before a game, but when the team became so popular, Hal and Alice chose to put their work into the town newspaper before spending it with their children. In the last two years, Betty and Charles ate alone, and he drove his truck to the arena, his sister taking the passenger seat. 

 

Tonight was no different, as Charles tossed some money onto the table with a tip, he and Betty got up from their seats and headed to the truck. 

 

“We got a new player this year who only rides a motorcycle,” Charles looked at Betty as he turned on the engine, “can’t really travel with a hockey bag on one of those things, so I gotta pick him up before heading to the arena.” 

 

The way he spoke made it sound like a question, as if to ask if Betty was okay with someone else being in the car with them, changing up their routine and getting in the way of their time together. 

 

He had given a team member rides home last year,  the guy seemingly nice enough at first, until he started to make Betty uncomfortable. Whether it be with comments or even just the way he looked at her. Maybe her brother was asking, knowing how bad things ended with that guy.

 

“Chic,” Betty sighed, “Not everyone is like Nick St.Clair, I’m fine being in a vehicle with one of your teammates.” 

 

As the two drove through the streets of Riverdale and into the Southside, he focused on the road and spoke. “I think you’re going to love Jughead, he’s amazing, I just  worry about you.” 

 

“Come on, no bad energy tonight. It’s the first game of the season.” The siblings smiled at each other. They pulled into a trailer park, finally, as Betty asked, “also, Jughead? What kind of name is that?” 

 

“It’s a nickname,” Chic laughed, “he’d die before telling someone his real name, though.” 

 

Who Betty assumed was Jughead appeared from a trailer. He was different than she expected. Most of the guys on the team had bodies fit for a tough sport, but though tall, Jughead didn’t seem to have much muscle, and he was skinnier than what looked safe. But what she noticed most, with the little lighting they had, was the beanie on top of his head. She watched as he went around the truck and could tell from the sound, that he was throwing his bag and sticks onto the bed of the truck. 

 

He got into the back seat seconds later, and Chic turned to look over his shoulder.. 

 

“Hey man,” her brother smiled, “this is my little sister, Betty. Betty, this is Jughead.” 

 

Jughead reached his hand out, as if to shake hers, and she obliged. “It’s nice to meet you, Jughead.” 

 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Betty. Your brother talks about you all the time.” 

 

Betty laughed as Chic groaned at his friend’s words. She knew her brother was proud of her, for pursuing her dream of singing, and reaching out to the music program at school. He was proud of her for working to learn responsibility, and for being one of the strongest people he knew.  Just because she already knew this, didn’t mean he was any less embarrassed about how much he spoke about her at practise. 

 

The rest of the ride had been Betty listening to Chic and Jughead interact. She quickly realized that they were more than teammates, but had become friends. She wasn’t sure where he came from, as he would have had to attended Riverdale elementary with them, but didn’t. It was obvious that since the start of practises this season, a great friendship had brewed, and Betty wondered if all those nights her brother was out late, he was actually hanging out with the boy with the funny name. Surely two practises a week couldn’t make two people know each other so well, but it seemed as if they’d been friends their entire lives. It made her happy because her brother didn’t have friendships like that, even with guys he’d literally known his entire life. Betty could already tell she was going to like Jughead, if only for the way he seemed so different than all the other players she’d met over the years. 

 

They arrived at the Riverdale Community Center not long after picking Jughead up, and as her brother and his friend grabbed their bags and sticks, she walked behind Chic into the rink entrance. She went to say hello to the coaches and then joined Sheriff Keller and his son, Kevin. 

 

“Betty!” Kevin cheered when he saw her come over to them, “You excited for the new season?” 

 

“Always,” Betty laughed, “it’s weird seeing all these new parents, though. So many new people joined this year.” 

 

“Rumour is that they’re shutting down Southside High  _ and  _ Southside Arena. About five of the new players are from the Southside.”

 

Betty already knew that Jughead was from the Southside, so she wasn’t all too surprised that a few of the newcomers are from that part of town, but it was weird that they’d be closing down the arena. Southside High had rumours of drugs being distributed, but for a hockey arena, Southside Arena had held up a fairly good reputation. 

 

“If they’re closing the arena, then why don’t we have more than five new players?” 

 

“Well, if it was up to Coach Lodge and Coach Mason, we wouldn’t have anyone from the Southside at all,” this time Sheriff Keller answered, “but with the arena closing, we needed to take at least one team official and Coach Jones was chosen to be the best out of the 3 they had. All the boys tried out, as well as our team from last year, and five of their boys outskated and played ours. We had to take the better players, even if some parents aren’t too happy about it. The guys that didn’t get in are now playing for Greendale.” 

 

_ Oh God,  _ Betty thought. The same twenty players had been playing together for ten years since they were in Mite together and now some of them were on Riverdale’s biggest rival’s team. She could only imagine how intense this season was going to be. It was Chic’s last year in Midget, and she knew that playing for possibly the last time was going to be hard enough on him, and now it’s against people he’s known most of his life. 

 

As the Zamboni left the ice and the teams skated on, Betty looked over and saw a petite brunette walk into the arena. She had never seen the girl before, but she looked like she belonged. 

 

“ _ That  _ is Emmerson Dawn,” Kevin nudged Betty’s shoulder to grab her attention, “she’s dating one of the new players, Jughead Jones. Born and raised Southside, a tough one at that. She’s pretty cool from what I’ve heard.” 

 

Betty looked back at the girl and wondered if she should invite her over, after all, if she was dating Jughead, she must have met Chic in the last few weeks since practises started. If the two would be friends, it only made sense that they became friends, too. 

 

There was two minutes left until the game started, the teams on either end of the ice shooting at their own goalies until it came time to play. Betty stood up from her seat and walked over to the girl, Emmerson, as Kevin had told her. 

 

“Uh, Emmerson?” Betty asked, she looked up at Betty and smiled, “I’m just sitting over there with my friend, Kevin. I’m Betty, my brother is Chic Cooper, the captain and-” 

 

“Jughead’s ride to the game?” She cut Betty off, “also his best friend, basically,” Emmerson laughed. 

 

“Did you want to come sit with us? I mean, unless you have people coming. I didn’t mean to assume that you had no one to sit with.”

 

“No one coming,” Emmerson looked down before sighing and looking back up at Betty, “I wouldn’t mind someone to sit with. Been alone at most of his games.” She stood up and followed Betty. She took a seat beside her just in time for the buzzer to go off and the teams to put on their first line. 

 

Betty sat between Kevin and Emmerson, completely forgetting to introduce them to each other as the buzzer went off and her focus changed to the game. The first line was one of the teams best. Reggie Mantle - Riverdale’s best defence that they’d ever seen -alongside his closest friend, Archie Andrews. hen the two were on the ice together, a goal was never going to get inside the net. Her brother was the teams major center forward, and he lead the other four players in the first drop of the puck. On his left and right were Moose Mason, and Jason Blossom. 

 

Chic got the puck and skated across the line, passing three of Greendale’s players before he was caught in the middle of their two defensemen. So far from the net, Betty knew he wouldn’t take the shot. He made a fake pass to Moose before turning around and passing it to Jason. Jason got caught by Greendale’s captain, Malachai, and skated after him alongside his other players. Malachai made a pass to his left wing forward man and when the puck got within inches of the net, Betty held her breath. It wasn’t until she saw the puck in front of Archie’s stick and away from the net that she, and the rest of the fans, clapped as he made a wraparound and stayed alongside the boards until he was on the opposing team’s side of the ice. 

 

He took a risk and went for a slapshot as his team was keeping off the other players from getting in his way, the puck just barely made it into the net but as the buzzer went off and the crowd cheered, they knew Archie got them onto the scoreboard. 

 

They changed lines after the goal was scored and Betty recognized noticed some of the other players, but it wasn’t until Emmerson clapped her hands and called out Jughead’s name that she knew he was on the ice, too. He, like Chic, played center wing frontman. 

 

“Let’s hope these Southside guys are good, because Doiley is a real plug,” Kevin laughed at his friend’s commentary and nudged her shoulder a bit. 

 

“A plug?” Emmerson asked, confused.

 

“Just someone who’s not very good at hockey,” Kevin answered for her and turned his attention back to the game. 

 

Jughead had gotten hold of the puck and made a pass back to his left frontman, and the guy, #12, skated around two of the players coming at him from the other team. He made a pass to Dilton Doiley and the crowd groaned. 

 

“Crap,” Betty whispered, “come on Doiley, don’t mess this up.” 

 

A surprise to no one, Doiley let the puck get away and one of the Greendale players were able to skate away from it. Not far behind, Jughead and who she could only assume was Trevor Brown, came behind the Greendale player and Jughead skated in to get the puck from in front of his stick. He was able to get it and made a pass back to #12 before skating forward, waiting for the pass back, and as soon as he got the puck again, he was shoved into the boards. 

 

Making a smart move, he froze the puck and waited for one of his team members to get in the struggle with him. Not without a fight, he was able to get the puck to Trevor who skated for the net and attempted at a top-shelf goal. The puck hit off the top pole and right into the gloves of Greendale’s goalie. 

 

The linesmen blew his whistle and skated to get the puck from the goalie, he put #12 and a player from Greendale’s team in front of each other in the face-off circle stationed right next to Greendale’s net. This time, the Greendale player was able to get the puck and make a pass back at one of his men. Luckily, Jughead skated fast enough and was able to steal the puck before they got within ten feet of the net. He made a deke shot by two of the frontmen and skated for the net, scoring a clean goal in the process. Betty stood from her seat and cheered, clapping her hands loudly. 

 

When she sat back down, Kevin was unbothered as he’d seen her like this a million times, but Emmerson looked at her surprised. 

 

“You’re really into hockey, eh?” 

 

“Understatement,” Kevin laughed. “Betty here is the biggest Riverdale Serpents fan, and even sang the national anthem at all of their playoff games in the last two years.” 

 

“Oh wow,” Emmerson smiled, “that’s impressive.” Betty, as she always did, shoved it off as if it were nothing. 

 

The game went by in a flash, Greendale getting one goal in before the Serpents were able to put three more in and win 5-1. By the end of the game, the crowd was cheering loudly and Betty had felt more than ready for tomorrow night’s game. She said her goodbyes to Kevin and Sheriff Keller, before walking out of the stands with Emmerson. 

 

The two girls stood by the entrance to the hallway of change rooms, in silence at first before Betty spoke. 

 

“You can sit with us whenever, and I heard Southside is closing, so if you ever want a new friend at school.” She smiled at the brunette girl, “Not everyone at Riverdale High is nice, but Kev and I literally have only a couple more friends and they’re all on the team.” 

 

“I’d really like that, thank you, Betty.” 

 

“No problem,” Betty said before seeing Chic walk down the hall. 

 

“Hey Emmy, Jug’s gonna be out in a few, talking with Coach. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Chic gave Emmerson a pat on the shoulder before handing his stick to Betty and laughing, “ready for a great season, sis?” 

 

“Aren’t I always?” The siblings laughed as they got into the truck. 

 

Betty and Chic stopped back at Pop’s to grab some milkshakes and fries to go and chatted about the game on their way home. Betty found out that #12 was some kid named Fangs, one of Jughead’s oldest friends and Southside’s second best player, as she would learn that Jughead had been their best. 

 

He told her that Doiley had been half decent in practise and it’s why Fangs made the pass. He mentioned the line-ups would change based on the game and who they needed to play, and reminded her that they can’t get in their heads just because they won the first game. 

 

Chic always tried to remain cool about their wins, even though she knew he was super proud of how the team played, even with a few guys who aren’t as great as the other ones. 

 

“Jughead was close to making captain, did I ever tell you that?” Chic laughed, “he almost got it but then told me he didn’t want it and would settle for A instead. First guy in a long time to make me work for my spot.” 

 

“I’ve never met anyone who would willingly give up their spot as captain on a sports team,” Betty was shocked. 

 

“He’s a great guy, Betty. I know mom and dad are always going on about the Southside being bad, but I’m happy for this merge. He’s one of the best guys I know. We really have a great team this year.” 

 

When they got back to their home on Elm Street, their parents still weren’t home, probably at the Register office typing up everything that happened at the game to have an article fresh and ready for Saturday morning. 

 

Chic put his hockey equipment in the basement to air out and hopped into the shower, while Betty changed into her pink fluffy pajamas and curled under her comforter. As she was sending a good-night text to Kevin, a notification came through. 

 

_ _J.Jones_ has requested to follow you. _

 

She looked at the profile picture and knew it was Jughead. For some reason, there was this feeling in her stomach as she pressed accept and requested to follow him too. She clicked her phone off to sleep but as she got the ding that he had accepted, she really thought this season was going to be the best yet. 

 


	2. Seems like Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to chapter 1 was amazing! Thank you all for sticking with me even though Jughead with someone else isn't ideal. I promise it doesn't last long!
> 
> Shoutout to @cacti-evie and @miss-eee again for being amazing betas!

Saturday’s game against the Rosewood Hawks had played out even more smoothly than Friday’s. The Hawk’s had never been much of a threat - with their town caring more about football than any other sport, the hockey team was never fully equipped like Riverdale and Greendale. It had been an easy win, with the final score being 6-0. 

 

There was no game Sunday afternoon, and so, after Church when Hal and Alice headed back to the Register for some more work, Betty and Chic went out for lunch at Pop’s. Betty was surprised to walk in and see Jughead and Emmerson. Emmerson had sat with her and Kevin again the night before, but the two didn’t talk much. She hadn’t talked to Jughead either, besides her whispers in the stands praying he didn’t mess up when the puck was in his possession. She knew that they were Chic’s friends, though, and having met them, it was obvious they’d be around more while the season went on. 

 

From what she’d seen, both of them were really nice people, and she genuinely hoped they could create friendships outside of the arena, as well. Her offer still stood with Emmerson about school, and Betty reminded her of that when they left lunch that afternoon. 

 

Getting out of bed the next morning was no different from how it always was. She got up and pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, applied light makeup, and dressed  in her classic pastel pink sweater and blue skinny jeans. Her ride to school with Chic had been the same as well, quiet music playing over the stereo while they talked about random stuff together until they got there, and then going their separate ways once out of the truck. 

 

But when she walked into her first period English class and saw Jughead sitting beside the only empty seat in the classroom,  there was a flutter in her stomach she tried to ignore as she took her seat beside him. 

 

“Aren’t you only a Junior? This is a Senior class, Betts,” Jughead whispered to her, looking at her as she pulled her binder out of her pink and white bag. 

 

“I completed my Junior English course last term, they thought I was advanced enough to take the senior one this year so that come next fall, I can focus on my music.” 

 

Betty loved music,  it had always been her coping mechanism.  In the same way that hockey basically defined who Chic was as a person, music defined her. She had always been smarter than most people in her school and was advanced in classes enough to take some early, so it was no surprise to her or her friends when she got into the Senior class for what would be her spare. It was disappointing that she couldn’t have the spare class to focus more on music, but it was also better, because that way she had extra time in the future when scouts would really be paying attention. 

 

“Oh cool,” he smiled at her, “well it’ll be nice to know someone in here, then.” 

 

Just as Jughead finished talking, Mrs. Hill walked into the classroom. 

 

“We’re reading Gatsby,” Betty whispered, “teacher is pretty flexible, but she is very serious about old and classic literature.” 

 

“Ms. Cooper, it’s nice to see you’ve made a new friend already,” Mrs. Hill tilted her glasses to look at the two, “Mr. Jones, is it? We’ve run out of copies until more are ordered so if you can, please share with Elizabeth. We’re starting off with group discussion and I know you like to read on your own, but if you wouldn’t mind-”

 

“Only this one time, Mrs. Hill, you know how much I prefer to get into the mindset of the characters on my own,” her comment made the older woman smile, as she normally did. 

 

Right after attendance was taken, everyone dispersed into their groups and Betty moved her chair over to Jughead’s desk. She had a massive amount of notes, sticky notes tabbing the pages of the book, and an assortment of coloured pens that highlighted things on her lined paper. Jughead was overwhelmed, but also not very surprised, if anything Chic said about Betty and her schooling was anything to go by. 

 

“I’m sure you don’t want to talk about it when you’re at school,” Betty said out of the blue as she was copying passages from the novel onto her paper, “but you guys played really good this weekend.” 

 

Jughead smiled, taking one of her blue pens from the table and playing with it, “I’ve never seen someone’s family so invested in a sport, and the way you support your brother is amazing.” 

 

Betty blushed and had to stop writing as she lost complete focus, “I never want him to feel like he isn’t supported.” 

 

Jughead picked up the book and skimmed over the page Betty was copying from, “yeah, it’s a shitty feeling.” 

 

She looked down at the paper awkwardly, “what about Emmerson? You have her supporting you, don’t you? And your dad, he’s the new coach.” 

 

His chuckle was cold, a little too sharp for her liking, and it sent shivers down her back. “So, life in the 1920’s, huh? What exactly are we supposed to be analyzing here? The social upheaval? It’s decadence?” 

 

She knew he was avoiding the question at hand, and she could only assume it was because maybe family was a touchy subject for him. Betty, despite her sheltered childhood, understood some people didn’t have the life that she and her brother did. Jughead was from the Southside, and that alone pointed to poverty issues, and she knew from being friends with Moose that having a parent be your coach isn’t always easy either. However, she did wonder why he avoided the mention of Emmerson, when from what Betty could tell, she was just a really supportive girlfriend. In the end, it wasn’t Betty’s place to ask, and if he wanted to focus on school work, she would do that, too. 

 

“At this point in the novel, we’re supposed to be analyzing how Fitzgerald captures the realism of social differences in the 1920’s. Gatsby has just held one of his parties and Nick becomes fascinated with him.”

 

She went on to explain to him what she’d taken from the chapter and was surprised to find out he’d already read the entire book. Without giving away any spoilers, Jughead gave his opinion and by the end of class, Betty thought maybe working with someone else wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

 

When lunch came around, Betty sat with Kevin and a few guys from the team, Chic and Moose joined them. Moose and Kevin had been seeing each other secretly for over a year, and with how intense Moose’s father was, lunch and school was the only time they could be even remotely close without the fear of being found out. Archie sat with them and complained about choosing between hockey and music like he had to choose.  Reggie was in the gym lifting weights, as he always was. The guy quite literally lived and breathed working out or playing sports. 

 

Everyone thought Betty and Archie should be together because of their shared love of music since they were kids, and being neighbours for just as long.  She didn’t just support Chic at hockey games, but the entire team, too. There was a time when she and Archie were best friends, before he started dating Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats and only talked to Betty when it was convenient. She wasn’t mad at him for it, because she still had Kevin, and really, everything happens for a reason. 

 

They’d started to rebuild their friendship in the last year, since he and Valerie had broken up, and the two of them were paired together for the musical. Betty supported him when he had to leave rehearsal to get to hockey practise, and always had his back when people told him he needed to choose one over the other. If there was one thing Betty would always be, it was a good friend. 

 

That’s why she was disappointed when Emmerson and Jughead walked into the cafeteria and didn’t even look in her direction. She knew that everyone from the Southside still had each other, and it was stupid of her to assume Emmerson and Jughead, would prefer to sit with them, the rich Northsiders, over their childhood friends. When Betty looked over and saw Emmerson leaning on Jughead’s shoulder, neither one of them looked happy. Jughead was smiling, but it looked forced, like he didn’t mean it, and Emmerson just looked completely bored. 

 

They were sitting with Fangs, and two other new players, Joaquin and Sweet Pea, but then there was a girl with raven coloured hair that Betty hadn’t seen at the games over the weekend. Maybe that’s why Jughead avoided the conversation of support earlier in class, because yeah, Emmerson was there for him, but other friends of his weren’t.

 

“Earth to little Cooper!” Betty snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Kevin, who was laughing. “What’s so funny?” 

 

“I know you got this heart of gold, but we sat with her at two games, she’s got age-old friendships with those people,” he stopped laughing and held out his hand, “you got plans tonight?”

 

“Yeah, have to work.” 

 

“I’ll bring you up to Emmy when I go over to hang out after practise tonight,” Chic smiled at Betty, “but she’s a really closed off person, and isn’t even friends  _ with  _ her friends.” 

 

“Seriously guys, I’m not trying to be friends with anyone. I just want everyone to feel welcome in our school.” 

 

“Whatever you say, sis.” 

 

No one at the table seemed to believe her, because Betty had grown up without any female friends, and maybe part of her wanted a friendship with Emmerson because of that, but the guys had no idea that the person she wanted to get to know even more was the brooding boy with his grey beanie. 

 

She’d thought about him as she went to sleep Friday night after accepting his follow request, and she’d paid more attention to him during the game on Saturday than she cared to admit. While on Sunday at lunch, there was this feeling in her stomach she wasn’t sure what to make of, and despite being surprised to see him in class in the morning, she wasn’t at all disappointed about it. 

 

Suffering through Calculus was the same as it was every day, and Betty sat in the back row tapping her pen on her notebook, waiting for the bell to go so she could go to the auditorium. Today was vocals, and she couldn’t wait to get on the stage and sing. They’d been working on rehearsals for their production of “Cinderella”, and today was Betty’s turn to go over her songs. Thankfully, she’d had enough time between then and hockey season starting to actually focus, but she was worried that with the upcoming games,  getting her work done in a timely manner would prove rather difficult. 

 

She tried not to think about that though and walked into her last class of the day with her head held high. Betty paused when she put her bag down on one of the seats and saw Emmerson and the raven-haired girl from the cafeteria standing together at the end of the stage. 

 

“Betty!” Mrs. Andrews, Archie’s mother, and the school’s music teacher, called out in joy. “Perfect timing, I wanted to talk to you about your solo in the first act.” 

 

“Yeah, of course.” Betty smiled, walking over to Mrs. Andrews. 

 

“We have two students who have joined the media team, this is Veronica Lodge and Emmerson Dawn,” Mrs. Andrews walked over to the two of them and looked back at Betty, “they’re going to be filming some of our rehearsals and today is a test run. I just didn’t want you to be freaked out when there were cameras on you out of nowhere.” 

 

Mrs. Andrews walked away before Betty could say anything, and she stood awkwardly for a few minutes before going onto the stage. 

 

“Is that her?” Veronica asked Emmerson as they watched Betty walk away. 

 

“I can’t believe she’s going to be everywhere I am from now on,” Emmerson sighed, “first the hockey games, then at lunch with Chic and Jug on Sunday, and now in the one class I was looking forward to.” 

 

“Is she all bad?” 

 

“I don’t know, Lodge. She seems great, I mean  _ everyone  _ loves her.” Emmerson turned to face Veronica and shook her head, “maybe that’s the problem. Whenever Chic talked about her, Jughead seemed so interested, like who was this person and how were they so amazing? She’s a fan favourite at the games, and did you see all the guys from the team hanging out with her at lunch? Not to mention she’s playing the damn lead in this play. I still can’t believe Jughead wouldn’t shut up about her at lunch.” 

 

The bell rang and Emmerson sighed, deciding that now wasn’t the time to complain about the girl who captured the attention of the two most important guys in her life. Yeah, Chic may have been Betty’s brother, but for some stupid reason, it irritated the hell out of her that he was just  _ so proud of her.  _

 

Betty stepped onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone, and Emmerson and Veronica got their cameras ready. 

 

Of all the things they could have expected, nothing prepared them for the voice that came when Betty opened her mouth. 

 

_ I’m as mild and as meek as a mouse _

_ When I hear a command I obey _

_ But I know of a spot in my house _

_ Where no one can stand in my way  _

 

Betty took the mic off the stand and stepped back, holding it close to her face as her eyes closed and she continued on, her voice flowing perfectly with the instruments.

 

_ In my own little corner  _

_ In my own little chair  _

_ I can be whatever I want to be _

 

Emmerson could barely hold her camera as she listened to Betty sing. Somehow, with everything this nice, so nice and so damn sweet girl did, she managed to hate her just a little bit more. It made sense, why she was the lead for Cinderella when she not only looked the part, with her blonde locks tied back in a high ponytail, but her petite shape and quite literally, angelic voice. 

 

She tried to focus on the lens, getting the best shots of Betty on the stage and moved forward, stopping when she was only four feet away from where Betty stood above her. 

 

_ I’m a girl men go mad for, love’s a game I can play _

_ With a cool and confident kind of air  _

 

Wow, how right the lyrics felt to Emmerson about the kind of girl she thought Betty was.

 

_ Then I’m glad to be back  _

_ In my own little corner  _

_ Alone  _

_ In my own  _

_ Little chair _

 

“Wow, she is-” 

 

“Remarkable.” Emmerson cut off Veronica and stepped back to stand with her friend. They were both quiet as Mrs. Andrews got onto the stage and chatted with Betty about something, probably praising her for her performance. 

 

They chatted a little longer before Betty cheerfully got off the stage and went over to Emmerson and Veronica. 

 

“I have to work tonight, but I have some time between rehearsal and getting there, do you girls want to go out for a bite to eat?” 

 

Emmerson hated herself for hating Betty, she really did. Because Betty was unlike anyone she’d ever met. She wasn’t the type of Northsider who hated Southsiders, though at this point it might have been easier if she did hate them. No, she was a supportive younger sister, smarter than anyone she knew besides maybe Jughead, and she was so so freaking nice. It all felt too teen-drama to her for hating Betty the way she did, out of spite and jealousy, so she thought maybe hanging out with the girl would give her a different perspective.

 

“That sounds great, Betty.” Emmerson smiled and nudged at Veronica, “how does 4 o’clock at Benny’s cafe sound?” 

 

“Great!” Betty cheered, “I’m going to go read over the script some more, enjoy your filming!” Betty waved at them as she walked away, taking a seat over in the auditorium seats, and pulling out her script.  

 

Betty had been trying to think of a way to talk to Emmerson, and befriend her, so when she and Veronica had shown up in her music class, it felt like the perfect opportunity. She also didn’t want to push, but she was happy when they agreed to something after school. She had texted Kevin about it almost immediately, and he, the ever-supportive best friend, told her that it was awesome. 

 

It was when she was walking up to Benny’s and her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans that Betty was caught off guard. 

 

_ Unknown number: _

_ 3:48pm- Heard you’re grabbing food with Emmy and Lodge, good luck. _

_ 3:49pm- It’s Jughead by the way.  _

 

The logical thing to do would have been asking him how he got her number, but then she thought that Chic probably gave it to him. The next question that made sense would to ask why he got her number, but then she decided it didn’t matter. 

 

Jughead was texting her. He’d friend requested her, and now he was texting her. She was, in the definition of it for today’s society, making a new friend. 

 

_ Betty Cooper: _

_ 3:51pm- Don’t need luck, Juggie. I got that famous Cooper smile! _

_ 3:51pm- But thank you:)  _

 

Betty created a contact for Jughead and then walked into the cafe with a smile on her face and when she spotted the two girls, they instantly realized. 

 

“What’s got you so smiley?” Emmerson asked, leaning back in her chair. 

 

“Oh, nothing!” Betty insisted giddily. She set her phone down on the table and looked at the two girls, “I just have to use the restroom real quick, and then I’ll be back!” In a flash, Betty was off down the hall to the ladies room. 

 

Veronica was resting on the table when the vibration of Betty’s phone caught her off guard and her eyes instantly went to the phone. Her face was enough for Emmerson to be curious and the brunette leaned forward in her chair to read what popped up on the screen. 

 

_ Jughead: _

_ 3:55pm- Let me know how it goes. I’m sure we could find some time in class tomorrow to talk about it, but if you want to text me after work, that’s okay, too.  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on Tumblr @srainebuggie and tell me what you think! Do you like the idea of Jughead playing hockey and Betty singing? Also what do we think of Emmerson? (remember, she's only human).


	3. Late at Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty's developing friendship with Jughead begins to effect her life in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello. So I have no idea what happened. This chapter (and the next) were written and completed before I even started posting, but life got in the way and I wasn't able to find time to post. I am going to try my very very best not to leave so long between updates again!
> 
> A huge shout out to my beta, miss-eee, thank you for being amazing! 
> 
> This is possibly my favourite chapter yet, however, note the added tags before reading. I hope you all enjoy!

Betty had gotten home from work around 11 pm and honestly thought that Jughead would be fast asleep by that point. Practise ended at eight thirty, and normally Chic was wiped out by the time he got home from his friend’s house.

 

Even so, she gave it a shot and sent him a text after she’d completed her nightly routine. She wanted to tell him how it had gone with the girls that afternoon, about how Veronica had major attitude, but Emmerson was really sweet. She wanted to ask him about how they met and ended up dating, curious if what they told her was the full, or even remotely close to the full truth.

 

She was laying in bed, scrolling through her Instagram feed when the notification came through.

 

_Jughead:_

_11:15 pm- Ronnie always has an attitude, and Emmy used to but it’s good she was nice to you._

 

Betty blushed, she wasn’t sure if she was reading too much into the messages, but it felt like Jughead was happy that she and Emmy had been getting along. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted her to be a part of their lives the way she wanted to.

 

_11:16 pm- Now about how we met, well, how much time do you have?_

 

As it turned out, Betty hadn’t been as tired as she normally was after work, and she and Jughead had spent the next three hours chatting about everything. He told her about how he met Emmy when they were twelve and her family moved into town. He told her about their first kiss when they were thirteen during a game of truth or dare with some of the other Southside kids over a bonfire they got into shit for starting.

 

Betty had finally fallen asleep around 2 am, and their conversation continued on into English the next day, and then over texts through the rest of their classes, and even after school when Jughead was hanging out with his friends and she was at work.

 

Before Wednesday’s practise, as Betty was getting ready to go to Pop’s and meet up with Kevin, she had asked him how he ended up playing hockey. The conversation was finished later,  while Jughead sat in the passenger seat of Chic’s truck and she curled up against Kevin watching some rom-com on his couch while his dad was at the station and he was waiting for Moose to text him.

 

Betty had an early rehearsal the next morning for the play as it was nearing, and much to both of their dismay, she had to cut the conversation short after Chic picked her up to bring her home. After three nights of late conversations into the early morning, countless laughs, and feeling ways they never had before, Betty was snapped back into reality.

 

“He has a girlfriend.” Chic’s voice was harsh, and it caught her off guard. When Betty looked at him like she had no idea what he was talking about, he nodded to her phone. “Jughead is my friend, and it’s great that you guys are getting along, but Emmy told me you two have been texting every night.”

 

“Please tell me you are not being one of those _‘guys and girls can’t be just friends’_ right now.” Betty sighed heavily, “yeah, we’ve been talking, but it’s because he’s nice and _you_ were the one who told me how amazing he was and that you thought I’d like him. What, change of heart now?”

 

“I saw the way he smiled when his phone lit up in the truck on the way to _and_ from practise. I also notice how your attitude has changed in the last couple days,” Chic argued. “I’m not saying you can’t be friends, I just...I want you to be careful, Betty.”

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Look, he makes a great friend, but he definitely doesn’t make a great boyfriend-”

 

“Oh my God, Chic,” Betty groaned, “he is not going to be my boyfriend, okay? We’re two people who have a class together, share a mutual love for hockey and who get along. So what, talking to each other makes us happy. I know he has a girlfriend, and I think Emmerson is amazing, so trust me, I am not trying to take her boyfriend. I can’t believe you would even think I’d do that.”

 

“Betty-”

 

“Just be quiet.” And he listened, neither one of them talked for the rest of the ride.

  


Betty and Emmerson had started following each other after their little after-school date, and as she laid in bed that night, Betty held her thumb over the messaging icon onnstagram, debating if she should message Emmerson for herself.

 

She wondered if maybe Emmerson telling Chic about her and Jughead talking meant that she was jealous, or thought there was more to their friendship than they were letting on. But that would be crazy, because she’d been so nice to Betty when they saw each other at school, and there was no way Betty could have liked Jughead. So really, what was there for Emmerson to be jealous about at all?

 

Eventually, she decided against the confrontation and chose to go to bed instead.

 

She didn’t talk to Chic while he drove her to school at an ungodly hour, not even giving him her usual ‘thank you, I’ll see you soon’ for when he’d bring her breakfast from Pop’s after he put another two coffees in himself. Instead, the ride was quiet and hostile, and when she got out of the truck, all Chic was left with was the sound of the door slamming shut.

 

Betty wasn’t exactly looking forward to today’s rehearsal, as she never was when it came to this particular scene. Josie McCoy -lead singer of Josie and the Pussycats -was given the role of her Fairy Godmother, and she was so jealous of the girl’s voice. Josie could sing like no one she’d ever met, and whenever they had to practise their duet together, she got incredibly insecure.

 

Of course, it didn’t help that despite crawling under her covers and shutting off her phone early in the night, Betty didn’t end up sleeping until well past 2 am when she had to be up at quarter after five to get to the school by six.

 

They wanted to be closing Act One of the play by the end of class tomorrow, and today was Cinderella’s _Impossible; It’s Possible_ duet with her Fairy Godmother.

 

When she got into the auditorium, Josie, of course, was already standing on the stage practising her vocals, and Betty sighed before setting her bag down and joining her co-star.

 

“Okay girls,” Mrs. Andrews smiled before moving her hands up and down to the sound of the music and cued for the singing to start.

 

_Impossible_

_For a plain yellow pumpkin_

_To become a golden carriage!_

 

_Impossible_

_For a plain country bumpkin_

_And a prince to join in marriage_

 

They danced around each other as they were supposed to during the scene, and fell into the rhythm of their characters fairly quickly.

 

By the beginning of their fourth take, Betty’s stomach was growling and she would give anything for Chic to walk in with her food right about now.

 

When she turned to the audience for her part, she was caught off guard by the sight of Emmerson, Chic, and Jughead walking in through the far entrance doors.

 

_But if you could be a beggar woman not five minutes ago and_

_Now are my fairy godmother, then anything is possible, right?_

 

Josie’s voice blended into the song

 

_I suppose so_

 

Betty turned away from the people who had caught her attention and faced Josie.

 

_You could change it all. You could make it all happen_

 

They both continued to sing their parts until the final notes called them in for their duet and they both faced the seats that would one day be filled while they sang these exact words.

 

_And because they daft and doey-eyed dopes_

_Keep building up impossible hopes_

_Impossible things are happ’ning every day!_

 

The sound of Mrs. Andrews clapping pulled them both from their characters and they looked at her with wide smiles. “That was the best take yet, ladies.” She stood from her seat and looked at her clipboard. “Betty, you need to focus on staying confident in your role. Cinderella is meant to play the unconfident girl, but during her songs, is when she’s fully herself. Josie, pick up those vocals in the last parts of the song. The Fairy Godmother is strong, make sure you are too.”

 

They both nodded their heads in agreement before Mrs. Andrews told them it was okay to take a break, now.

 

Betty ran off the stage and over to Chic, as much as she may be mad at him, she was starving.

 

“You have no idea how bad I am craving a Pop’s breakfast biscuit right now,” Betty said as she ran up to them.

 

“Betty, your voice is amazing,” Jughead said to her as she pulled the food away from Chic. Emmerson looked at him and rolled her eyes before plastering on a fake smile. “The way Chic described doesn't do it justice.”

 

Betty smiled shyly and shrugged, “Oh God, my voice is nothing compared to Josie's. She's without a doubt the most talented person I know.”

 

“Well, I'm inclined to disagree.” He smiled and she tried to hide her blushing.

 

Not long after, Emmerson and Jughead left while Betty and Chic talked for a few minutes before she had to go back for one last run of the song before going to class.

 

After stopping in the cafeteria for a second coffee, Betty walked through the hall to her English class but stopped when she saw Emmerson and Jughead in what looked like an argument. Jughead had a hand running through his hair and Emmerson was talking with her hands in a way most angry people did.

 

Maybe Chic was right, even though Emmerson had been nice to Betty, maybe she was jealous of her growing friendship with Jughead and that was upsetting. When she reached out to become friends with them, her intentions were never to come between anything that was already there.

 

Lost in her head, Betty hadn't realized that they both noticed she was there and Emmerson scoffed before walking past Betty.

 

Jughead didn't say anything at first, so Betty took it upon herself to ask. “Are you guys fighting over me?”

 

He looked at her for a second, unsure what to say and she chuckled awkwardly. “I just mean, Chic said she hasn't been happy with you talking to me all the time and I just-”

 

Jughead put a hand on her shoulder to quiet her down, “Emmy and I have a complicated relationship. We were, as I told you, each other's firsts, so we've just always been together, I guess. She's just used to me never talking to anyone but other Southsiders, it's not on you, Betts. But if you wanna talk to someone about focusing all their attention on a friend, maybe you should ask Chic what he thinks of Emmy.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Look, I don't want you and your brother disagreeing and especially not because of my fucked up relationship with Emmerson. But I will say, as much as he's my friend, he is something completely different to her.”

 

Betty didn't say anything else and the two walked into class. They sat through seventy minutes of notes and waited for the bell to go off.

 

As Betty gathered her stuff up, Jughead looked her way and sighed before leaving the classroom.

 

She walked into the girl's change room and put her bag in her locker before joining Kevin in the gym. The two friends stood against the far wall waiting for either of their teachers to tell them to join in on team activities and Betty vented about what happened last night with Chic and this morning with Jughead.

 

Kevin had never been good at hiding his feelings with facial expressions and instantly Betty knew he had an opinion.

 

“Come on Betty, it makes sense. He's into old English from what you've told me about your class together, he's a hockey player and we all know you have a type when it comes to that, and seriously, I'm not blind. The guy is _hot._ It is okay to like him, just as long as you know he's taken, though, by the sounds of it, it might not be that way for long.”

 

“Kevin seriously,” Betty sighed, “I like the way I feel when we talk - like I'm happy. I know it's only been a few days, but he's great to talk to. I just... I don't like him in that way and I never want to hurt someone else. Whatever is going on with him and Emmerson sucks, but I have nothing to do with it.”

 

Kevin went to argue her but the sound of her phone vibrating tore her attention from their conversation.  

 

_Jughead:_

_10:13 am- Saw you in your rehearsal this morning, thought it was only fair that you see me in mine. Meet me at the bridge tonight at 10 if you don't work. Dress warm and bring skates..._

 

“Mhm, just friends,” Kevin said before pushing himself off the wall and walking off.

 

Betty spent the next few hours stuck in a dilemma - go or don’t go. She made the conscious choice not to reply, whether it be because she didn’t want to get his hopes up, or because she was unsure of what she wanted to do herself. A few of the players from the Southside came and joined Betty and her friends at lunch - Jughead and Emmerson included. The boys on the team had fallen into easy conversation about the upcoming games, so it was easy to ignore the awkwardness she felt between the glares from Emmerson, and Kevin constantly looking between her and Jughead.

 

She tried her best not to think about it in class, and when the two girls from the Southside came to record some more rehearsals, she sat in the far back of the auditorium while her classmates went over their own parts, phone away and play script in hand.

 

Dinner was the worst, with Chic not talking to her and her parents too focused on constant questions about the hockey game tomorrow night to even ask her how her day was at school. God, she should have been used to it by now, her parents never really cared about her school work or music.

 

It was then that she decided she would go tonight, because for every guy at school who chose the better singers and prettier girls, for every person who ignored her to talk about hockey and for every question her parents didn’t ask, there was Jughead. Over the course of only three nights, he had made her happier than she ever remembered being.

 

She waited until her parents were in bed before going to the hall closet downstairs and pulling out her old white skates, having been so caught up in her music, she hadn’t looked at them in over two years. She tried them on, and thankfully they were still a perfect fit. Quietly, Betty pulled on her scarf and pink winter coat,  sent off a message letting Jughead know she was on her way, and then stuffed it in her pocket, preparing herself for the twenty-minute stroll to the bridge connecting the North and South of Riverdale.

 

She arrived at the bridge and saw Jughead down on the ice, under the night stars and surrounding trees, he looked like a completely different person. He had a net set up and his stick in his hand when the sound of her voice caught his attention.

 

“I really didn’t know if you’d come,” He called up, leaning his stick against the rocks and walking up to her.

 

“I didn’t know if I would, either.” It was an honest answer, and everything felt so weird between them now. “So you said I should see you in your rehearsal, but practise happens at the rink, and never on a Thursday.”

 

Jughead chuckled and ran his thumb over his chin, smirking at her, “I’ve been coming here for a few years, since I was thirteen,” his voice was quiet, and he leant over the edge of the bridge, staring into the distant darkness. “My dad can be really tough on me, since he lost his shot at the NHL after an accident that prevented him from skating, he’s always said ‘ _Boy, don’t screw this up. You can go far, but you need to keep pushing’_. I know he loves me, but sometimes I forget that I love hockey, so every Thursday night, I’ll come here to remember why it’s been my everything since I shot my first puck.”

 

“I’m like that with music, not with my parents, of course,” Betty looked at Jughead and smiled shyly. “They don’t care about anything other than hockey, but Mrs. Andrews has always pushed me and I love her, I do, but sometimes I don’t want to get up at 5 am for a rehearsal, sometimes I just want to take songs I’ve written and sing them alone on that stage, with no audience.”

 

“I don’t know what it is about you, Betty, but I asked you here because I knew you’d get it.” They stood there silently for a few minutes, “Emmy used to think I was cheating on her, so one night she followed me here, and I didn’t know how to explain it to her. She freaked out and thought that not being able to tell her meant I didn’t love her, next thing I know she’s coming to school late the next day and I could see it in her eyes,” his chuckle is almost heartless, like what he’s about to say doesn’t even matter, “she’d slept with someone else that night.”

 

“Oh Jughead, I’m so sorry,” Betty put a hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t seem upset at all.

 

“I really don’t want you to feel bad for me, I just, I’m telling you this because of this morning.” Her eyes didn’t leave his as he turned to face her and sighed heavily, “when her and your brother met for the first time, or so I thought it was the first time, I knew it.”

 

“You knew-” She stopped herself before she finished her sentence and gasped, “Oh my God, Emmerson and Chic?” Betty didn’t mean to laugh, she really didn’t, but she couldn’t control herself and snorted.

 

“The saddest part is I don’t even care, you know? She was my first girlfriend, my first kiss, my first time, but I just, I don’t think I love her and none of it hurts. Anyway, when she was jealous about us, it wasn’t because of you and I. It’s because she’s had to deal with Chic on his phone with you, and talking constantly about you. She’s jealous because he’s so proud of his sister that he doesn’t pay attention to her.”

 

“She really doesn’t like me?” It hurt, but Betty was used to being hurt by girls in her life, and that’s why she never had any female friends. There was always so much jealousy and competition between them, she hated dealing with the drama and preferred lunch with her friends and guys from the team. She preferred friendly conversations and acceptance, she absolutely hated unwarranted jealousy and bitchiness.

 

“I don’t think it’s you she dislikes,” Jughead sighed, “I think it’s that she slept with Chic, and she was never the same after that. Maybe she was hoping being around him, he’d be so hung up on their night together that he’d try to win her over, Betty, I really don’t know.”

 

“Okay well,” Betty stood up straight and smiled, “now that you’ve told me all that, would you like to go onto that ice and prove to me you’re a good skater without your team there to help you?”

 

He chuckled and started walking towards the path down to the ice, “Come on Betts, I’m sure it’s you who’s gonna need help on that ice.”

 

She sat down at the top of the path and put her skates on, watching quietly as Jughead skated. She’d seen him on the ice at the games, but there her focus was on if a puck was going in the opponent's net, here tonight, all she saw was him.

 

Once her skates were on tightly, she joined him on the ice and smiled, “come on Jug, show me what you got.”

 

Betty didn’t realize what he was doing at first until he laughed as he skated towards her and she pushed herself on her skates to get around him. When deciding to join Jughead tonight, Betty was unsure of what might happen, and of all the things she could have imagined, their conversation on the bridge was not one of them.

 

She still felt unsure-unsure if she should be having so much fun with someone who was clearly not going to leave his girlfriend, despite neither of them being committed to each other. Unsure if she should ask Chic about his feelings for Emmerson, unsure if she should confront the Southside princess about the problems between them. There were so many things going on that Betty was unsure of, but the one thing she did not, and would not ever question was the way her heart felt a million pounds lighter as she skated across the ice with Jughead, and the laughter of their two confused souls filled up the air.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be kind to these characters, they're all young and human. But what did you think? Tell me below and come find me on Tumblr @srainebuggie


	4. We All Have Our Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the added tags before reading!
> 
> Also a huge shout out to the absolute best beta in the world, @miss-eee, thank you for being amazing!!

 

Betty knew the second she walked into the arena Friday night that she was undeniably screwed. Of course, she’d seen the movies where the good girl and bad guy fall in love, or when two teenagers have a love affair that no one ever imagined was possible. Sometimes there were the movies where the guy fell in love with his best friend’s sister, or the sister fell for the friend. But no movie she ever watched as a young teen could ever have prepared her for this. 

 

She saw him standing at the concession stand and a feeling she’d never had before coursed through her veins. She saw Jughead laughing as he chased after her on his skates under the starry sky. She saw the tears in his eyes when he talked about the pressures from his father, and she even saw the uncertainty when anything was said about Emmy. Maybe he did love her, but after last night, Betty thought that they were already over. 

 

She knew when she saw him that morning in class things would be different, but nothing hit her quite like walking into the game and seeing him standing there. His hair was a mess without the confinement of his grey beanie, and he looked so drained, much more than in the few hours since they’d seen each other at school. 

 

He had messaged her two hours ago, the text lighting up her screen, but the words lighting up her heart. He said he couldn’t wait to see her, and it almost felt wrong, knowing how he wanted to see her. But nothing felt as wrong as the realization that hit her when she saw his smile as he noticed her walk in. 

 

_ She liked Jughead.  _

 

Jughead who was a year older than her and probably only talked to her because he was friends with her brother, Jughead who she didn’t know before a week ago, Jughead who was taken by a girl who  _ seemed _ very nice and didn’t deserve to have some other girl liking her boyfriend, even if she did possibly cheat on him. She liked Jughead, who was the exact opposite of available and she almost hated herself for that. 

 

But Betty did what she thought was right and ignored thoughts in her head as she walked up to him and smiled back. 

 

“Chic didn’t need to give you a ride tonight?” She asked, taking a stand beside him. 

 

“No,” he chuckled, “dad brought me with him a bit earlier for some extra practise.” 

 

She didn’t bring up the fact that his voice changed as he said it, and instead looked around them, “Emmy coming tonight?” 

 

“Uh, not sure,” Jughead shrugged, “haven’t talked to her since lunch.” He noticed the way her body language changed and put his hand on her shoulder, “none of this is your fault, you know? Emmy and I...we’ve been like this long before you came along. It’s just, our thing I guess. Sometimes we go hours or even days at a time without speaking unless we see each other in person.” 

 

“What are you two chatting about?” 

 

Betty nearly jumped at Chic’s voice and stepped back. 

 

“You had sex with Emmerson.” Betty scoffed. 

 

Jughead and Chic both looked at her with shock, Chic’s mouth agape at his sister’s words. 

 

“I mean, it’s not what we’re talking about but when you warned me about Jughead, it’s because you slept with her, and you like her. Wow, this is so fucked up.” 

 

“Medium fries,” A female voice said loudly, holding the tray of fries out. Jughead looked at the siblings and slid away quickly for his food before standing back and listening to their conversation. 

 

“Betty, right now is really not the time to be having this conversation.” 

 

“You sound so much like mom and dad right now,” she laughed heartlessly, “I’m just trying to process everything because like, wow what a week it has been. But seriously Chic, why didn’t you tell me?” 

 

“It’s not like I want to share my sex life with my sister.” It was sarcastic, and definitely not the response Betty was looking for, and Chic damn well knew that. “After that night, we got each other’s numbers and talked on and off. She never mentioned anything about a boyfriend, and then I met her with Jughead and I couldn’t keep it up so I stopped talking to her for a while. Then I saw how they were together, and honestly, they didn’t love each other a few months ago, and they don’t love each other now.” 

 

“Chic, that is so  _ not  _ the point. Did you keep sleeping with her even after you knew Jughead?”

 

“I’m going to get ready, Jug, I’ll see you in there.” Ignoring his sister’s words, Chic headed off for the dressing room and didn’t look back. 

 

Infuriated, Betty turned to Jughead and groaned, “does that not make you mad? Like at all? Your friend basically avoided admitting that he’s sleeping with your girlfriend.” 

 

Munching on his fries, Jughead shook his head. “Like I said last night, and as he just said, I don’t love her. Yeah, it’s shitty that they couldn’t tell me how it is and choose to be together, but seriously, I was waiting for it to end and it looks like it just has.” 

 

“So you’re not upset, like not even a little bit?” Betty was shocked. 

 

“We’re all still young, Betty. I know it seems like it’s the end of the world, but she is just a girl, and I’m just a guy. We’re all human, we’re all figuring out what we want in life, and what we  _ don’t  _ want. I don’t hate your brother for sleeping with her, and I don’t hate her for not telling me. Honestly, there’s worse things to give my energy to.” 

 

“Did you and Emmy just like, break up without her actually being here?” 

 

Chuckling again, Jughead handed Betty the carton with few fries left in it, “she’ll probably show up and we’ll talk after the game. But I think so, yeah. Now, I gotta go get ready, so finish those for me, will ya?”

 

Betty walked into the seating area at the rink and sat beside Kevin, passing him the fries and telling him to thank Jughead. Sheriff Keller, as always, said his hellos before focusing on the ice. The players skated on for their three-minute warm-up, and Kevin took the few minutes to nag Betty with questions. 

 

“Girl, it is written all over your face. Something is going on, now tell me what.” 

 

“I think Emmerson and Jughead broke up,” Betty whispered, “but Emmerson isn’t even here so I don’t really know.” 

 

“Wait, they broke up over the phone? That’s a low move-”

 

“No,” Betty interrupted him, “Chic admitted to like, having an affair and Jughead was all cool about it like he didn’t even care and said they’d talk after the game but pretty sure they’re over.” 

  
“Chic and Emmerson? When did that happen?” 

 

“I don’t know, Kev,” Betty sighed. 

 

“Seriously, you’ve known these people for a week and this is the most interesting your life has ever been.” Betty rolled her eyes at Kevin and shoved him gently, “wait so if they’re broken up, is this your chance to get with Mr. Hot brooding boy?” 

 

“Okay can we just,” she sighed and looked at the two teams on the ice, “do what we always do on Fridays and focus on the game. Ignore everything else in our lives?” 

 

“As you wish, Cooper.” Kevin turned in his seat and watched as the game began, “I still think you should take the chance.” 

 

Rolling her eyes again, Betty laughed and did her best to focus as the teams fought to get their team on the scoreboard. 

 

She found herself focusing more on just one player, opposed to the whole team, and it felt so weird, so unusual to care about someone playing, instead of the sport itself. She watched as Jughead skated around the other team’s offense and took a shot in, scoring their first goal of the night. 

 

The boys had played well in the first period, both Jughead and Chic on their game as if the conversation beforehand never happened. They were halfway through the second period, three goals ahead, and Betty was focused solely on the puck when the clacking of heels caught her attention and she saw Emmerson and Veronica walk in. 

 

They both looked at Betty and smiled, Emmerson taking the lead and walking over to sit beside her and Kevin. 

 

“Hey Betty, Kevin,” Emmerson smiled, “how are they doing?”

 

Betty was confused, just a day ago Emmerson was shoving past her and giving her dirty looks, but tonight, she appeared to be fine. 

  
“Winning, Jughead got two goals, Fangs and Moose both scored as well,” Betty’s voice wasn’t her usual happy and chipper, even after knowing her for only a week, Emmerson was caught off guard and wondered what was wrong. 

 

“Are you guys coming to the party at Sweet Pea’s trailer tonight? He said he wanted to celebrate, cocky that they were going to win I guess,” Veronica laughed, changing the subject in hopes of avoiding awkwardness as she noticed the way her best friend stared at Betty. 

 

“We would love that,” Kevin answered, “wouldn’t we, Betty?” He nudged her shoulder and smiled at her, despite her glaring eyes.

 

“Mhm,” Betty answered, jumping in her seat when the buzzer went off and she realized she missed a goal. “Shit.” She was louder than she meant to be, and everyone, including some of the players, looked up at her. Embarrassed, she sat down and quietly shoved her hands into her pockets. 

 

By the time the end of the period came, the Serpents had been at 5-1, not scoring another goal after Betty’s awkward acknowledgement of the one halfway through the period. She had ten minutes before they came back on the ice, and decided to run to the canteen for something to drink, feeling overwhelmed by being around Emmy. 

 

Before she got her drink, Betty slipped down the hallway to the restroom but stopped when she heard Jughead’s voice. 

 

Looking over the corner, she noticed the new coach, who she knew was Jughead’s dad. 

 

“I saw the way you were distracted by her in the stands, boy. I don’t care what’s going on with you two -when you’re on that ice, nothing else matters.” 

 

“Dad I know-” The quick flash of Coach Jones’ hand slapping Jughead across the cheek caused Betty to gasp, and when both men looked over at her, she realized she got caught. 

 

“I-I was just going to the bathroom, I-uh, I’m uh I can-” Betty was stumbling over her words, and when Coach Jones angrily stormed off, she was able to take a deep breath. “Jughead, I swear I was just on my way to the bathroom-” 

 

“It’s fine, Betty. Just, please forget what you saw.” 

 

“Jug-”

 

“I said forget it!” His voice was louder than she’d heard it before, and it set her on edge. He was breathing heavily and looked almost angry at her. “I just, forget you saw anything and don’t mention it again.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

Neither of them said anything else and Jughead shook his head as he walked back to the dressing room. Feeling as though she couldn’t stand on her own two feet anymore, Betty walked back to the seats without going to the bathroom or getting a drink, and quietly took a seat beside Kevin, waiting for the last period to start. 

 

The end of the game came quickly, and with a 6-4 win, the Serpents cellied on the ice. As happy as she wanted to be for the team, Betty couldn’t get what she saw out of her head and pulled her phone out as she and Kevin walked into the lobby. 

 

_ Betty: _

_ 10:34 pm- going to the party tonight, will you be there? _

 

She knew he wouldn’t be on his phone for at least another five minutes, so she shoved her own in her back jean pocket and turned to Kevin, “I imagine Chic is going, so we’re just going to catch a ride with him. Is Moose gonna go?” 

 

“I’m sure I can persuade him with some-” 

 

“Keller if you finish that sentence, I will kick your ass,” Moose’s voice caught them off guard, and Kevin turned around with a giddy smile on his face. “But yes, little Coop, I am going to the party.”  

 

“Looks like it’s going to be a full truck tonight,” Betty laughed. 

 

The three of them stood in the lobby chatting when Betty felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and she pulled it out quickly, hoping for a response. 

 

_ Jughead:  _

_ 10:40 pm- Going to ride up with Emmerson, she said she wants to talk. Guessing Chic told her about our conversation.  _

 

_ Betty:  _

_ 10:40 pm- Will I see you tonight?  _

 

_ Jughead:  _

_ 10:41 pm- I don’t know.  _

 

Sighing heavily, Betty clicked out of her text messages and put her phone back in her pocket. If Moose and Kevin noticed the way she was irritated, they didn’t say anything, and she was thankful. Chic was out seconds later, and she chose to ignore his longing stare at Emmy as he walked over to the exit doors. 

 

“Are we going or not?” Okay, so Betty absolutely knew Chic was irritated with her. “You two lovebirds gonna need a ride back from the party or crash on the floor from drinking yourselves into stupidity?” 

 

“Well captain, don’t know who got your panties into a twist, but we’ll probably pass out.” Kevin looked at Betty questioningly and she just shrugged.

 

They remained silent for the rest of the ride, and when at the party, went their separate ways. Well, at least Moose and Kevin went their own way, choosing to avoid the sibling fight that was bound to ensure at some point in the evening.  

 

Chic and Betty sat in the truck, silent, for a few more minutes before Betty spoke up. 

 

“Why did you do it?” 

 

She didn’t need to say anything more, because Chic knew exactly what she was talking about. It hung in the air above them, and he tried his best not to acknowledge it directly. Instead, he turned to face her and sighed, “do you ever notice how mom and dad never hug or kiss each other? They just -exist together -like they’ve fallen into some universe where they’re married but not in love.” 

 

Betty thought about it, and Chic wasn’t wrong. The only idea of love that either of them have ever had was their parents, who were, in every way, not a good example. She wondered for a second what his point was, but in all honesty, it was clear. She’d seen Jughead and Emmy around each other countless times since they met, and yet, never saw them holding hands, hugging each other, kissing, or even looking at the other for comfort. Maybe he had an affair with Emmy because she was in a loveless relationship, maybe he did it because he couldn’t help himself, maybe it didn’t matter to anyone because they’re all teenagers just screwing around, but it mattered to Betty. 

 

“I can’t make you understand, or be okay with, what I did, Betty. But I’ve been around them together for a little while longer than you, and what they have, or didn’t have, there’s no love there.”

 

“Whether the love is there or not, shouldn’t it be their choice to walk away from each other?” She ran her hand through her hair, “if she didn’t want to be with him, she didn’t need to cheat, and you especially didn’t need to sleep with her while hanging out with her boyfriend.” 

 

Chic went to respond but the sound of a knock on the truck window drew both of their attention away, Emmerson stood behind the driver’s door with an angry look on her face and Chic rolled down the window. 

 

“I need to talk to you,” Emmerson says, pointing to Betty. 

 

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea right now,” Chic sighed, looking between his sister and Emmy. “Look, it’s been a long night, the two of you-”

 

“Stay out of it, Charles. We’re both big girls, and we need to talk, so we’re going to talk.”

 

Betty nodded in response and got out of the truck. She ignored the look on her brother’s face as she walked away and followed Emmerson to one of the trailers. 

 

“Is this the part where all of your friends jump out and like, beat me up or something?” Betty chuckled nervously, looking over her shoulder every chance she got as she stood across from Emmy. 

 

“Like I need anyone’s help to beat you up,” the smirk on Emmy’s face made Betty feel a little uneasy before she continued to talk, “but I don’t want to, okay? I know it comes off like I hate you, and I guess, maybe I do a little bit. Everyone knows about Betty Cooper, whether they want to or not, even when we played for Southside, fans would talk about how us sisters and girlfriends should cheer on the team like they did in the Northside. I remember reading the Blue and Gold to look at our competition for photographers and seeing you on literally every cover for months.” Emmerson took a deep breath and laughed, “Then I met Chic, and my life quite literally changed the night we slept together. But then he would always talk about his amazing sister, and I found out it was you. Between him meeting Jughead and shutting me off for a little bit, to Jughead being so fucking interested in you, I hated you before I even  _ met  _ you. You introduced yourself at the hockey game and I couldn’t believe you were so nice, and I remember Jughead’s attitude that night, he was so different. Man, he may have liked you from the second he laid his eyes on you.” 

 

“Leaving Jughead and my brother out of this,” Betty looked at Emmerson in shock, “you seriously hated me because everyone else liked me?’

 

“When you put it like that-”

 

“That’s a fucking joke, Emmerson!” Her voice was louder than she meant it to be, but she didn’t care. “Yeah, I got on the cover of the Blue and Gold for taking part in things at school, and everyone at the hockey games knows me because I cheer my brother on. But you know who doesn’t care? My parents, who haven’t asked me about school or my music or my life for as long as I can remember because I’m not Chic and I’m not playing my ass off on the ice or giving them newsworthy stories for the town paper. There’s also Nick St.Clair who sexually harassed me last season because I turned down his advances. There’s girls at school who I have to compete with every day and there’s boys I want but never want me. So next time you want to go around judging someone because everyone else loves them, don’t.”

 

“Betty, I’m-” 

 

“If you’re going to say sorry, I really  _ really  _ don’t want to hear it.” 

 

Betty turned onto her heel and walked towards the front door, standing shocked when she opened it to see Jughead and Chic in front of her. She stared at them both silently for a few minutes before pushing past them and running out the door. 

 

Without hesitating, Jughead ran after her. She was running faster than he could keep up, but when he saw the brightness of the headlights, he watched as she paused in complete shock and before he knows it everything is crashing together.

 

“Betty!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is still being worked on, I promise myself it's going to get finished and then I hit another block. It is a very difficult chapter, but with some free time coming up, I am *really* hoping to have it out to you guys in a timely manner. 
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr @srainebuggie and tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hi there! If you finished this and want to read more, why don't you come find me on tumblr @srainebuggie where I might post a teaser for chapter 2 if people enjoyed this :) <3


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